The Labor enquirer., 1887-01-22
BrutaIizing ConditioDs-Dense
Population Within an Ace
of Starvation.
Dock Laborers' Occupation Nearly
Gone Families That Live on
Eleven Pence a Day. q
A Sad Tale Told By a Reporter Of
the London Globe, q Bour.
geois Organ. j

1ho AohuOh 0iooc oous aopVASoi
into the destitute quarters of London te
Investigate the real condition of tht
people. In the preface to the published
account of his investigations the re-
porter says:
HE is neither missionary nor pro-
fesslonal phifanthropist, and in acting
as the Globe commissioner. he has sim.
ply followed his instructions. and al.
lowed facts to speak for themselves.
The statements related in the ensuing
chapters were collected during . 90.
journ extending over twenty-four days,
in the various places described. During
that period the writer practically lived
among the destitute poor, and every
case recorded has been taken from life
and actual observation"
1t is satisfactory to note that the ques.
ton Of the condition of the very poor Is
again attracting the attention of Lon
doners. That there is great deal Of
want and suffering in the poorer dis
tricts has long been an established fact.
The question has, however, of late at
tained new basis. 1t is not any more
how the poor shall be lodged. but how
they are to be fed; for, in the existing
state of things, the first needs of hu-
manity are asserting themselves, and
ideas of comfort, cleanliness, and santa
tion allowed to drop. The question is
no longer purely social. It has out,
grown itself and now faces us as mat.
ter of national and political inportan CO..
The ordinary conditions Of struggling
existence have succumbed to the de.
PRESTON of trade, the over-competition
produced by bad times, and the severity
Of the season. The distress at present
existing In the east of London is the
more sad from the fact that it is rapidly
spreading to new class of people, The
most acute sufferers are not the poor Of
the slums, about whom SO much has at
various times been written. They are
far superior class, who, entangled in
the net of misfortune, are dragged into
penury, and find their condition so
hopeless as to rapidly cause them to be-
come desperate in their efforts to obtain
the necessaries of life. 4
1t was 10 obtain some personal insight
4 into the condition of things actually ex.
isting, that determined to 60 east my.
self, and to see whether the reports IN
circulation were exaggerated or no.
My modus operandi was simple. ]
placed myself in communication with q
number of gentlemen in daily inter
course with the poor. They included
clergymen. doctors, parochial officials,
employers of labor. ETC., and the infor-
nation they afforded me was as start,
ling as it is Important. do not pro-
pose to inf1lct my own views on my
readers. 1t will be better if cnntent
myself with detailing the evidence /
obtained, aud afterwards append brief
account Of my own experiences.
The lowest form of employment fol
unskilled labor is to be found at the
docks. The requisites for finding work
at the gates is simple, being nothing
more than fairly muscu lar appear
ance and sufficient luck to attract the
CANCERS notice. The pay is moderately
good, being 3D.. or Sd. per hour, accord
ing to whether the 'hand" is taken for a
short or long period. Under these cir
cumstances, it will be readily under
stood that the docks reIthe resort Of {
large proportion of men who cannot OBJ
tain work elsewhere, and that they ir
some respects form an index Of th'
labor market" I 80
Ny first visit was, ther refore. to th'
London docks, where l had an inter
view with one Of the officials, VIII
kindly supplied me with q number o
facts. 1t appears that during the frs
week in February, 1885. there was
daily total Of $500 men employed in tn
dock. During last week the numbe
was $500, of whom 2,60O were taken o.
at the gates every morning. The pres
| ent time of taking on Is half-past eight
Employment begins at nine and ends Q
four, except for special jobs. With re
+ spect to the sufferings Of casual 'docl
, hands, nv informant was Of the opinion
I that the work was not materially de
! creased. "The real grievance is that tn
number of applicants for the WORK ha
J. nearly doubled. There are three mel
, to do each mans work. This Is due t
: several causes. Bad trade has doubles
8 thrown lot of men out Of employment
! and many Of them have to turn to th
! docks. The distress ID undoubtedl
, great. 1t is very likely that there is
large number of men within an ace
o starvation in the east of London. Th
o men who get taken on at the docks d
' very well. They feed well, and eel
, orally spend their days earnings In q
public house. They mostly live in lod
: ing houses. There are very few Of Il
;. regular hands who have not perma
d ent home of some sort" II
Q, From the docks / went to the Sailor
Home, in Dock street eloserbv, sad VI
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